Virginia Tech's Nick Dew turned to Aaron Rouse for recruiting advice

As Nick Dew went through his college evaluations, he sought counsel from guys who had been in his position. He wanted to hear the words of somebody who knew what he was talking about when it came to dealing with recruiters, pressure and college coaches.

The source he found couldn't have been better suited to tell Dew what to expect. When he spoke with Aaron Rouse, it was as if Dew was looking in the mirror in some ways.

Like Dew, Rouse is a product of First Colonial High in Virginia Beach. Like Dew, Rouse's frame lent itself to a linebacker/safety hybrid role in college. Like Dew, Rouse dreamed of a football career beyond college, and Rouse is living the dream now with the New York Giants.

The similarities don't end there.

Rouse spent his college days playing for Virginia Tech, which is where Dew is headed after signing a letter of intent Wednesday with the Hokies. Despite a sometimes rocky stay late in his college career in Blacksburg, Rouse certainly didn't steer Dew away from Tech during the recruiting process.

"He said recruiting could be real difficult and it could be stressful, and he said don't make a decision based on a coach, but make it because it's where I want to be for the next four or five years," said Dew, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete who also had scholarship offers from Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, East Carolina, Arkansas, Louisville, Purdue, Maryland and Syracuse. "In the end, he said he enjoyed the experience at Tech and, if he could, he'd do it all over again."

That's a ringing endorsement coming from Rouse, who was 6-4, 225 pounds and moved from outside linebacker to strong safety for the last two years of his college career. He struggled during a portion of his senior season and had to split time at strong safety in the middle of the season with Cary Wade before regaining his starting job, but Rouse still wound up getting chosen in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers.

As far as position flexibility is concerned, Dew looks to be headed in a similar direction as Rouse when he gets to Tech. Though Dew said he prefers the free-safety position, he may start out as an outside linebacker. Tech coach Frank Beamer said a big selling point for players like Dew and Dominique Patterson from King's Fork High in Suffolk was their ability to play several positions.

"You look at both of those guys and they've got good size and they're very athletic," Beamer said. "Those guys fit in somewhere pretty well. ... (Dew has) some versatility in terms of getting into your system and playing as quickly as he can."

Dew saw first-hand how that versatility can draw positive attention Jan. 2 in Orlando, Fla., at the Under Armour All-America game. He spent his entire senior season at First Colonial working at outside linebacker and defensive end, but the first thing coaches asked him to do in practice in Orlando was to line up at safety.

"On the first day, I didn't feel like I had the best practice in the world, but the coaches did," Dew said. "I ended up starting for them."

In the game, he finished with five solo tackles and broke up two passes, including one by Alabama-bound quarterback Phillip Sims from Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake. It was the kind of performance Dew hopes leaves a lasting impression, but he doesn't plan for it to be his last big-time showing.

He has some lofty goals to shoot for at Tech, on and off the field. He'll be the first person in his immediate family to go to college, which explains why he says he's "taking this really serious." While he said he'll be more than willing to redshirt if necessary, his first athletic ambition at Tech is to get on the field as a freshman, especially considering he thinks he's joining the team at a pivotal moment.

"With Tech, I feel like they've got the roster to make a national championship run next season," Dew said. "It's just about how bad they want it. I would love to be a part of that."

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